


melt down our hearts

by lilcrickee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Mentioned NCT 127 Ensemble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-20 23:44:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21290135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilcrickee/pseuds/lilcrickee
Summary: In the end, Donghyuck had chosen Taeil because he didn't already have a fansite, and the only thing better than being the best, in Donghyuck's opinion, was being the best before anyone else.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Moon Taeil
Comments: 29
Kudos: 530





	melt down our hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bophew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bophew/gifts).

> for my beloved soulmate. thank you for being such a wonderful friend and supporting me always. my life is so much brighter with you in it <3
> 
> title from chen's "love words"
> 
> please see end notes for tw.

If timed correctly, it only takes six minutes and 18 seconds to walk from the choral practice room to the bus loop. From there, it’s a 16 minute and 42 second bus ride to the metro station, resulting in a 2 minute and 54 second train ride to the agency building.

Donghyuck has maybe done this commute once or twice.

What the calculations don’t account for are traffic jams, delayed trains, and Donghyuck tripping up the stairs of the metro station and almost breaking his 2,000 dollar camera.

“Shit, shit,” he mutters, waving off peoples’ attempts to help him up as he scrambles up the last five steps. He valiantly tries to ignore how gross the floors are.

“What happened?” the voice in his earphones asks. “I heard this weird thumping noise.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been me gracefully faceplanting up the stairs,” Donghyuck grits out. “Jaemin, did you save me a spot?”

“Duh,” Jaemin replies, just as Donghyuck comes bursting out of the underground. “What kind of a friend do you think I am?”

“Normally a bad one.” The calculations also don’t account for the traffic signals at the corner. Donghyuck bounces anxiously on his feet, eyeing the sizeable crowd forming around the side of the agency building already. He probably should’ve skipped chamber choir, but he’s also certain that his prof would’ve eaten him alive if he’d missed practice. “I’ve barely seen you since you got a boyfriend.”

He doesn’t have to see Jaemin to know that his friend is preening like a fool. Jaemin is shameless on a good day, but he’s been especially unapologetic about gaining himself a boyfriend. And though Donghyuck would never admit it outloud, if he found himself a boyfriend with arms as nice as Jeno’s, he’d probably be pretty proud of himself too.

“The point is,” Jaemin continues, as if Donghyuck hadn’t just insulted him, “I saved you a spot and I’ve fought off numerous fangirls for you so will you just hurry the fuck up and get over here?”

The traffic lights change and Donghyuck sprints across the intersection, rolling his eyes at the way Jaemin cackles into his headphones. Once he makes it across the street, he fights his way through the disgruntled crowd until he catches sight of Jaemin’s trademark pink bucket hat, his signature item as the fanmaster of _Shining Jaehyun_.

“Took you long enough,” Jaemin says, hauling Donghyuck up onto the low wall outside the building. It’s weird, hearing Jaemin’s voice both through the tinny speaker in his headphones and in person, so Donghyuck yanks out the earpiece, ignoring how it dangles from his face mask.

“I’m sorry, but not all of us can skip lectures willy-nilly like you can.”

Jaemin snickers again, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I told you,” he says, “my prof cancelled our class. He said he has the flu or something but I know he got an invite to go view a new game demo today. That’s what Jeno told me, at least.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. Jeno this and Jeno that. Instead of gracing Jaemin with an answer, Donghyuck goes about setting himself up, checking over his camera again to make sure it hadn’t sustained any lasting damage from his fall.

Luckily, nothing is broken. There’s a couple cosmetic scratches along the side, but the actual mechanisms seem to be working fine. He takes a couple test shots to make sure, adjusts the settings for perfect aperture and white balance, and finally takes a deep breath.

“Thanks for saving me a spot,” he mutters, eyes trained on the door to the agency and not Jaemin.

Jaemin elbows him in the side anyway. “Yah, what are friends for,” he replies. “Also -- “

He’s cut off by a chorus of screams as the doors to the agency open. Donghyuck whips his camera up to his face, adjusts the zoom, and starts snapping away as NCT 127 steps out into the alleyway.

Seven impeccably dressed men filter out of the building, waving happily to the crowd as their managers usher them towards the awaiting vans. Donghyuck trains his viewfinder on the shortest member and starts snapping away.

Moon Taeil bows to the crowd, smiling happily at the screams. Donghyuck takes two seconds to readjust the white balance on his camera and to relearn how to breathe properly.

"Oh shit," Jaemin mutters. "I think Jaehyun just looked at me."

Jaehyun's standing the furthest away from Taeil, so Donghyuck doesn't see what Jaemin might be talking about. Besides: "You have a boyfriend, asshole. Save some for the rest of us."

"Please, Jaehyun isn't even your bias."

"Doesn't mean I'd say no if he asked me on a date."

Jaemin just laughs. The members of NCT 127 bow again and clamber into the vans while the fans continue to scream. When Taeil climbs into his van, Donghyuck finally puts his camera down and rubs at his bicep absentmindedly. Damn, maybe he should start working out. Maybe Jeno could give him some pointers at the gym --

The crowd starts to dissipate as the vans pull away from the agency building. Once they're out of sight, Donghyuck jumps down off the wall, Jaemin hot on his heels.

"Did you get any good shots?" Donghyuck asks, beginning to thumb through the photos he took. There's definitely a few he can use for previews before he starts editing tonight, including one where Taeil managed to look directly into his lens. He's been doing that more often lately, and Donghyuck wonders if he's getting more recognizable.

He's so lost in his own photos that it takes him a moment to realize that regular chatterbox Jaemin hasn't answered him at all.

"Hey, Nana," he says, nudging Jaemin in the arm. "You okay?"

Jaemin turned to him, eyes shining. "Are you _crying_?" Donghyuck all but screeched. Instead of an answer, he gets a camera in his hand.

On the screen, Jung Jaehyun is smiling back at him, looking right into the camera lens. In the first picture he's waving, but when Donghyuck scrolls through a few more photos, Jaehyun's actions change until he's clearly miming _fighting!_, both fists raised and huge smile on his face.

"Hyuck," Jaemin says, voice sounding dreamy and far away. "If I die right now, you can have my camera lenses."

Donghyuck laughs, pushing the camera back into Jaemin's hands. "Yah, what about your boyfriend? Can I have him too?"

Jaemin shoves him, hard enough to make Donghyuck stumble. "Can't believe I have to stay alive to keep my boyfriend away from lecherous demons like you," Jaemin mutters, packing his camera away into its bag.

Donghyuck just laughs and slings an arm over Jaemin's shoulders. "Live to die at the hands of Jaehyun another day, loverboy," he says, steering Jaemin in the direction of the cafe down the street. "Now c'mon. There's an iced hot chocolate with my name on it."

Donghyuck didn't fall into kpop fandom by choice, but he's also never half-assed anything in his life, so once he was in, _he was in._

It had mostly been Jaemin's fault and his frankly creepy obsession with Jung Jaehyun. NCT 127 hadn't even debuted at the time and Jaemin was already head over heels in love.

"I think I might start a fansite," Jaemin had said dreamily, staring at his laptop.

"A what?" Donghyuck had asked, which had been exactly the wrong question to pose.

In the end, Donghyuck had chosen Taeil because he didn't already have a fansite, and the only thing better than being the best, in Donghyuck's opinion, was being the best before anyone else.

The fact that he is _extremely_ attractive doesn't hurt either, but that was how Donghyuck’s fansite, _Taeil Is My Full Sun_ was born, along with Donghyuck’s online nickname, _Haechan_.

"You're late today," his boss says, snapping Donghyuck out of his Taeil-centric stroll down memory lane.

Donghyuck sighs and slides under the counter of the coffee bar, heading to the back to grab his apron. His boss follows him back and hovers anxiously in the doorway.

Frankly, Donghyuck thinks it's ridiculous that he has to be managed by someone like Mark Lee. It’s not that Mark is particularly bad at anything. He’s a model human being: earnest and honest and hard-working to a fault. But he’s also a year older than Donghyuck, and Donghyuck thinks it’s ridiculous to have a 20-year-old managing a cafe.

“Are you going to fire me again?” Donghyuck asks. He dumps his bag on the chair in the corner and throws his apron on haphazardly around his neck.

“I mean, I could, but you keep showing up for your shifts,” Mark replies.

“You could file the paperwork.”

Mark shrugs, letting Donghyuck squeeze past him back out onto the floor. There’s someone waiting at the counter for them, so Donghyuck bounces up to the register to take their order.

“It’s too much effort to try and find someone else to hire,” Mark complains as he makes the customer’s latte a moment later.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Dude, that’s what Boss Man is for.”

Donghyuck has never actually met Boss Man. He’s the owner of the cafe, but for whatever dumbfounded reason, he’s left its management entirely up to Mark. Donghyuck has spent a lot of time speculating what kind of dirt Mark has on their mysterious man to gain this much control over an actual business establishment.

“Yeah, but I’m the one that would have to interview them and call their references and train them,” Mark says with a sigh. He pushes his finished drink across the counter and smiles politely at the customer who picks it up.

“Just admit that you like me and go.”

Mark’s face goes through an astounding number of expressions before settling back to neutral again. If Donghyuck hadn’t seen him scream about a spider on his fourth shift of work, he’s certain he could be convinced Mark is secretly a robot. As it stands, his boss has shown human emotion, and Donghyuck isn’t so much convinced as he is highly suspicious.

“You’re alright,” Mark settles on, then adds, “but you’d be really great if you could clean the coffee grinder today.”

The coffee grinder is the bane of Donghyuck’s existence. Public Enemy Number One. Donghyuck would rather chew off his right arm than deal with that beast, but --

“Will you give me one of the cupcakes if I do it?”

Mark looks at him incredulously. “No, because that’s your job.”

“What if I don’t want to do it?”

“I’ll fire you.”

Donghyuck just cackles and skips back to the register to help more customers. By the time he leaves in the afternoon, the coffee grinder is still dirty.

Mark gets his revenge several days later when he brings in a handwritten note for him to clean the coffee grinder, signed by _Boss Man_.

"How do I know you didn't forget this?" Donghyuck asks, waving the paper in Mark's face. He takes another look at the writing. "No wait, never mind. Your writing is way worse than this. How do I know you didn't ask someone to forge this for you?"

Mark pinches the bridge of his nose. "Can you please just clean the coffee grinder?" he asks. "Like, I'm asking you to do the bare minimum at your job please."

Donghyuck thinks that the bare minimum would be just taking orders and serving people drip coffee, but Mark looks a little worse for wear today. He's got bags under his eyes and his hair looks like something nested in it overnight.

"Are you okay?" Donghyuck asks carefully, yanking open a drawer and pulling out a pair of atrocious yellow rubber gloves. He doesn't want to sound too much like he _cares_, but he doesn't think he's prepared for his manager to keel over on the job.

"Had a fight with my boyfriend yesterday," Mark mutters, which essentially crushes any motivation Donghyuck had mustered to clean the coffee grinder because --

"You never told me you had a boyfriend!" he screeches, tossing the gloves at Mark's face. Every customer in the cafe turns to look at them.

Mark's face turns an alarming shade of red as he ducks behind the espresso machine. "Because I knew you'd do exactly that," he groans.

Donghyuck looks around the shop. "None of these people are regulars. You'll probably never see them again. It's fine."

Mark just groans some more.

"Okay, but, like. Tell me more about your boyfriend!" Donghyuck says, nudging Mark with his foot. "I want to know everything."

Suddenly, Mark looks up at him. A smile slowly creeps onto his face. His eyes take on a wicked glint. It's actually a little frightening; Donghyuck doesn't think he's ever seen Mark look so animated before.

"I'll tell you if you clean the coffee grinder," he says.

Donghyuck feels betrayed.

"That's not fair," he whined. He stamps his foot for dramatic effect.

"How is that not fair?" Mark asks, straightening up. "Like I said, it is literally part of your job. I shouldn't have to bribe you with details about my personal life to get you to actually earn your pay."

Donghyuck huffs. He looks at the coffee grinder and then at the rubber gloves in Mark's hands. Then he looks at the ceiling. He could just not clean the coffee grinder. That's totally an option.

But Donghyuck is curious to a fault, and he can't stand the idea of not knowing who on earth would voluntarily enter into a relationship with the most boring 20-year-old Donghyuck has ever met.

"Fine," he says, snatching the gloves from Mark's hands and pulling them forcefully up his arms. "Get the ladder. I've got a machine to clean."

20 minutes later, Donghyuck has almost lost two fingers, spilled at least 10 dollars worth of coffee beans on the floor, and found out some very interesting details about Mark's love life.

Like how Mark's boyfriend is older than him and Mark won't disclose the age.

"You realize that I must come to the logical conclusion that he's some 40-year-old creep who's trying to suck your youth out of your dick," Donghyuck says, which makes Mark splitter hilariously.

"He's not 40!" he exclaims.

Behind them, the bell rings on the countertop, signally a customer.

"Fine, I'll ask this guy what he thinks," Donghyuck says. He pivots and just about falls off the ladder.

Moon Taeil is standing at the register.

Granted, he's wearing a facemask and a ball cap, but Donghyuck has been taking pictures of Taeil for _years_. A half-assed disguise isn't going to fool him.

"What I think about what?" Taeil asks, voice muffled by his mask. He makes no effort to remove it though.

"Uh," Donghyuck says eloquently. Mark shoots him a dangerous look.

"Nothing," he says smoothly, sliding up to the counter. "What can we get you?"

Taeil orders an iced Americano, which is just about the most boring drink on the menu, but Donghyuck makes it with a level of care he hasn't demonstrated at the cafe since -- ever.

Taeil waits at the end of the counter, thumbing through something on his phone. Donghyuck desperately wants to say something, _anything_, to make a good, lasting impression, but he's drawing a blank. He, Lee Donghyuck, lost for words.

Eventually, he has to actually finish making the drink. He pours everything into a cup and snaps a lid on the top, sliding it across the counter to Taeil.

"One iced Americano," he says. When Taeil meets his eye, Donghyuck feels a little lightheaded.

"Thanks," he says, grabbing a straw from the jar on the counter. He's about to turn away, and Donghyuck literally cannot let this moment slide away from him like this, so he says the first thing that pops into my head.

"My manager is dating a guy that's older than him, but won't tell me the age. Is it then reasonable to assume that the dude is some creepy middle-aged weirdo who wants to feel young again by banging today's youth?"

Behind him, Mark drops a coffee cup on the ground. It shatters loudly in the silence that follows Donghyuck's question.

Taeil blinks a couple times. Then, his eyes scrunch up at the corners; Donghyuck can tell he's smiling.

"I don't think it's _unreasonable_," Taeil says, "but you should have a bit more faith in your manager. He looks like he'd be a good judge of character."

With any other person, Donghyuck would definitely argue vehemently about any of Mark's so-called good qualities, but this is Taeil. So he just bobs his head, says thank-you, and watches wistfully as Taeil strolls out the door.

A moment later, Mark sidles up next to him. "You're fired," he mutters, dumping his broken coffee cup shards in the garbage next to Donghyuck's hip.

Donghyuck grins wolfishly. "But Mark," he simpers. "Who would clean the coffee grinder when I'm gone."

Mark just glares.

Jaemin hits him when Donghyuck tells him about Taeil at the cafe.

"Shut up," he screeches. Luckily, they're in Donghyuck's dorm room and no one else is staring at them. "That's not real. You're lying to me."

"I'm not lying, stupid!" Donghyuck exclaims. "Why would I lie to you about meeting Taeil?"

Jaemin pouts and flops onto the bed dramatically. "How come all the exciting things happen to you?" he asks. "Didn't you win the music department scholarship last year too? That's not fair."

"The universe gave you a boyfriend who will tolerate all your crazy shit," Donghyuck replies. "So, if you dump Jeno, you'll probably run into Jaehyun at a convenience store."

Jaemin looks stricken. "I can't dump Jeno," he says. "That sounds terrible."

Donghyuck just hums and tries not to feel too jealous.

"Maybe I'll just have to spend more time at the coffee shop," Jaemin says, clearly thinking out loud. "Maybe Taeil will come back and he'll bring his friends and one of those friends will be Jaehyun. I mean, not that I'd say anything to him, but. It'd be nice to just see him up close."

Donghyuck opens his mouth and then shuts it again. It's actually not terrible logic, but it also largely depends on whether Taeil found anything about their cafe to be more interesting than any other coffee shop in the city. Donghyuck thinks he makes pretty decent Americano’s, but it’s also not exactly difficult. And as far as he can tell, there’s nothing particularly special about the coffee they brew.

"As long as you buy stuff," Donghyuck decides on. "You can't freeload off our wifi."

"Mark loves me," Jaemin replies. "And Jeno. Did you know they were friends?"

"I didn't know and I don't care," Donghyuck says. "I refuse to acknowledge that Mark is human."

Jaemin hums and goes back to scrolling through his Twitter. Donghyuck watches the movement of his thumb for a moment before shaking himself out of his stupor. The conversation evaporates between them, and while Donghyuck doesn’t _always_ need noise to fill a room, this silence feels distinctly uncomfortable --

\-- and he blames it all on Jeno.

It’s maybe a little unfair, but ever since Jaemin got himself a boyfriend, he’s been particularly insufferable. He’s busy all the time, and when he does have a moment to spare for Donghyuck, he talks about Jeno incessantly. It would all be much better if Jeno was an asshole, but he’s infuriatingly nice and reminds Donghyuck of a Samoyed puppy. He can’t hate a Samoyed puppy.

“I need a boyfriend,” Donghyuck concludes, then grimaces when he realizes he’s voiced this thought aloud.

Jaemin glances up from his phone. “I’ve been telling you this for months,” he says easily. “I also told you I could set you up with someone if you want.”

Donghyuck groans. “For the last time,” he says, “I’m not going on another blind date. The last one you set me up on was terrible.”

Jaemin pouts. “Okay, yeah, but this time I’m actually friends with this person so I know he’s not a total idiot!”

Jaemin has the self-preservation instincts of a lemming. Donghyuck does not have a lot of faith in him.

“No. I’m just -- feeling melancholic and sad,” he settles on. “Your happiness is draining the life out of me.”

Donghyuck expects a witty reply in response, but after a minute of picking at a loose thread in his jeans, Jaemin remains silent. When Donghyuck looks up, Jaemin is looking at him with a frown. It’s unnatural looking, and it makes Donghyuck uncomfortable.

“What?” he asks, feeling a little defensive.

“Does it really bother you that I have a boyfriend?” Jaemin asks, quiet and apprehensive. For all his unbridled confidence, it’s easy to forget that Jaemin is still young.

Donghyuck sighs. “No,” he says, climbing onto the bed next to Jaemin and forcing his phone out of his hands. Aggressive cuddling fixes everything. “I’m just jealous. Jeno is good for you and I’m just sad sometimes that you don’t spend time with me yelling about NCT anymore.”

Jaemin giggles a little and pushes his nose into the column of Donghyuck’s neck. Donghyuck’s honestly a little surprised it’s not wet like a dog’s.

“I always have time to yell about NCT with you,” he gushes. “How about tomorrow we go out and visit all of Taeil’s favourite places.”

It’s very magnanimous of Jaemin to volunteer to go to Taeil’s favourite places and not Jaehyun’s, and Donghyuck does not overlook this. He pinches Jaemin’s elbow, but lays a big smacking kiss to his hair as well.

“Yeah, alright,” he says. “I guess I’ll keep you around after all.”

Jaemin hums. “I never thought you’d get rid of me in the first place,” he says.

The following week, Donghyuck goes to the airport twice to take pictures of Taeil -- once when he was leaving for Japan and once when he was coming home -- passes his calculus midterm, and manages to bribe Mark for more information about his boyfriend.

"I'll vacuum the store after close today if you tell me about him," Donghyuck says. He wouldn't normally offer, but he had spotted a dust bunny in their supply closet that looked big enough to make a scarf out of.

"You're supposed to do that anyway," Mark grumbles, but he doesn't look entirely annoyed, so Donghyuck presses further.

"What does he do? Do you guys live together? How long have you been dating?"

Mark makes a face. "You get one question," he says, and goes about restocking a display of muffins.

Donghyuck bites his lower lip. Just one question. He'll have to find more infuriatingly helpful things to do in order to ask more. He ponders his choices for a moment before settling on, "How long have you been dating?"

Mark bites his lip and scrunches his nose. Donghyuck figures if he spends much more time thinking he might explode. "A year and a half, I guess?" he says.

Donghyuck can't believe it. "Someone has willingly put up with you for two years?" he screeches, and Mark frowns.

"Just because you don't have a boyfriend doesn't mean you have to mean to everyone who does," he says.

"I'm not mean," Donghyuck replies. He's an angel. An absolute angel. But it is rather worrisome that apparently everyone can pick up on his Sad Single Vibes.

"An hour ago you were roasting Jeno and Jaemin," Mark points out. "And you gagged at all the PDA from that couple that were sitting in the corner earlier."

Donghyuck frowns. He hates that Mark seems to have a fully functioning memory.

"Whatever. They were one-offs," he says breezily, and Mark rolls his eyes.

"You're jealous," he replies.

Donghyuck splutters. He fidgets. He shuffles his feet. Just because he's jealous doesn't mean he wants to admit it to Mark, so he says, intelligently, "I am not."

Mark just raises an eyebrow at him.

"I could have a boyfriend anytime I wanted," Donghyuck continues. "I just haven't been looking."

Mark scoffs. "Yeah, sure," he says. "If you're so certain, I dare you to ask out the next guy that comes up to the counter."

Donghyuck fumes. He obviously doesn't want to ask out the next random dude that comes up. What if it's an old man? What if it's a freshman? What if he's ugly or smelly or stupid? But he also can't back down from the dare, _especially_ because it's from Mark.

"Fine," he says, then quickly adds, "within reason, though!"

Mark nods, then grins, jerking his chin in the direction of the register. Donghyuck swallows, squares his shoulders, and turns around.

Moon Taeil is standing at the counter.

Donghyuck thinks he probably blacked out.

One moment he was fully conscious and aware of his surroundings, the next thing he knows he's got a formal introduction to one of the nation’s top idols, a phone number scribbled on a piece of paper, and a date with Taeil on Friday night.

_A date with Taeil._

"That's it. I'm never leaving this cafe again," Jaemin declares, sipping angrily from his latte while Donghyuck relays the most embarrassing moment of his life to his best friend and his best friend's boyfriend.

"What about school?" Jeno asks, because he seems to have at least half a brain in his head and two feet in his shoes.

"What about NCT schedules?" Donghyuck adds.

"What's the point of all that when Taeil comes into your shop twice in a week and now you're going on a date with him!"

Jaemin's voice rises so high he sounds a bit like a squirrel by the time he's done talking. Donghyuck would be a lot more amused if he weren't so flabbergasted by what he's done.

"I didn't mean to ask him out on a date!" Donghyuck replies. "It was Mark's fault."

"Leave me out of this," Mark calls from the front counter. "Besides, doesn't it mean anything that he said yes?"

Which. Donghyuck hates to admit when Mark is right about things, but he does have a good point. Taeil could have laughed off Donghyuck's stuttered proposal, but instead he'd given Donghyuck a soft smile and said, "Okay. Where and when?"

"Yeah, gosh, that's just as weird," Jaemin says, so Donghyuck kicks him under the table.

"Are you saying I'm not date-worthy?" he screeches.

Jaemin winces. "No," he replies. "I'm just saying, he's an idol. The last thing he needs right now is a dating scandal."

"He probably said yes because you're a dude," Jeno adds. "Easier to brush off and say you're just a friend."

Donghyuck … doesn't know how he feels about that. But at any rate, he figures it's a win to be able to spend any sort of time with Taeil.

"Hyuck, you also don't even have to go through with the actual date," Jaemin says thoughtfully. "He gave you his number, right? Just. Call him to cancel."

That's also a decent idea. Donghyuck is perfectly happy snapping photos of Taeil and sometimes making him an iced Americano. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that.

"That's maybe the smartest thing you've ever said, Nana," he says, which earns him his own kick to the shin.

Donghyuck spends an unreasonable amount of time staring at the piece of paper with Taeil's number on it before he actually musters up the courage to call it. What's there to be nervous for?

Well, his brain helpfully supplies. He could answer it, which is terrifying. But he also could have given any random phone number. And then Donghyuck will call it and talk to some poor soul who definitely would not want to go out on a date with him at any point, and Donghyuck would be sad and embarrassed and would have to close his fansite. The fans would be upset. Maybe he'd drop out of school and move to America. Become a hermit.

Maybe he's getting a little ahead of himself.

Still, the possibilities seem endless, even as Donghyuck punches the numbers into his phone and presses the speaker to his ear.

The phone rings for quite a while before someone picks up on the other end. Donghyuck figures that would make sense if it were actually Taeil's phone. He probably has a few sasaengs that try to call him.

"Hello?" the person says.

Donghyuck can't tell if it's Taeil or not, so he sucks in a breath to fortify himself and says, "Uh, hey. It's Donghyuck. From the cafe."

There's a pause on the other end, long enough that Donghyuck considers hanging up, before the person says, "Oh, right! Donghyuck! We're going on a date this Friday!"

Well, shit. Donghyuck doesn't normally have a lot of qualms about turning people down on dates, but Taeil sounds so _excited_. Like he's actually been looking forward to spending some time with Donghyuck doing … whatever.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Um. Yeah, that's me," Donghyuck stutters. "I was just, uh, wondering what we were doing?"

Donghyuck immediately slaps a hand over his mouth, because that is most certainly _not_ what he was wondering. The complete opposite, really. And now he's gone and dug himself into a hole.

"Oh, hmm, that's a good point," Taeil says. He hums a little while he's thinking, and Donghyuck tries not to think of it as anything other than _cute_. "Maybe … a movie?"

A movie. Pretty standard date. Doesn't leave a lot of room for getting to know someone, but then again, that wasn't really Donghyuck's intention. 10 minutes ago he had been planning to cancel the date altogether. A movie sounds nice.

"Sure," he replies. "Anything in particular you want to see?"

Taeil rattles off a bunch of titles that Donghyuck doesn’t quite pay attention to. He hasn’t been up to date with the latest releases since he started school. They settle on an action film that some of Taeil’s friends have seen and pick the latest showing, even though Donghyuck has an early morning theory lecture the next day.

“Sorry,” Taeil apologizes. “I don’t like crowds.”

Donghyuck doesn’t call him out for it. It’s fine, and he voices this to Taeil.

“Okay, awesome,” Taeil says, making a noise that sounds suspiciously like a sigh of relief. Donghyuck feels a lump of guilt form in the pit of his stomach. “So we’ll meet there half an hour before the show starts?”

“Sounds good,” Donghyuck says faintly, and listens to the sound of Taeil hanging up the phone.

Great. Just great.

The theatre that they agreed to meet at is in a fancier part of town than Donghyuck is used to frequenting. He steps out of the subway station and immediately feels underdressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a hoodie, even though no one is looking at him.

“I look like I’m lost,” he mutters into the microphone of his earphones. On the other end of the phone, Jaemin laughs.

“You should have had the foresight to dress better,” he says, which just makes Donghyuck frown.

“We’re going to a movie!” he exclaims, which does make some people turn. Donghyuck ducks his head and hurries along. “You don’t need to look good for a movie date. You can’t see what people are wearing anyway!”

The theatre is just up ahead. Donghyuck doesn’t see anyone standing outside, but as he approaches, the door to one of the cars parked out front opens and a figure steps out.

Donghyuck’s taken enough photos of Taeil over the years that he’s not embarrassed to admit he can recognize Taeil’s silhouette from a mile away. He looks good, in a dark pair of jeans and a camel-coloured overcoat. It makes him look sophisticated without being overdressed. Like he fits in with the neighbourhood they’re standing in.

“Shit,” Donghyuck mutters.

“What?” Jaemin asks. “What happened?”

“He looks good, Nana,” Donghyuck complains. He’s half a block away now. “I’ve got to go. Call the police if I don’t text you in, like, three hours.”

He hangs up on Jaemin’s cackling and tugs the headphones out of his ears. They hang limply out of the top of his hoodie, but it’s too late to do anything about them now. Besides, Donghyuck already looks like an out-of-place college student; he might as well fully commit.

“Hi,” Taeil says once Donghyuck is standing in front of him. He’s got the same ball cap and face mask combo that he was wearing at the cafe the first time Donghyuck saw him there. “Are you ready to go in?”

“Oh, um, yeah,” Donghyuck stutters. “No use standing around outside, right? Let me just grab my ticket.” He makes to head up to the box office, but Taeil stops him with a hand on the crook of his elbow. It’s weirdly intimate, and Donghyuck can’t help but shudder.

“Don’t worry about it,” Taeil says. He pulls two slips of paper out of his pocket and hands one to Donghyuck. “My treat.”

As a broke college student working a minimum wage job, Donghyuck is not usually one to turn down a free movie ticket, but it makes Donghyuck squirm a little anyway. He feels bad enough about planning to ghost Taeil after this date; he doesn’t need to feel worse by now owing him 13 dollars.

Taeil looks none-the-wiser to Donghyuck’s internal conflict. His mouth is covered by the mask, but Donghyuck can tell he’s smiling anyway. How unfortunate it is, he thinks, to be able to make people happy.

“Thanks,” he says, nodding towards the door. “Popcorn’s on me, I guess.”

Taeil tries to protest, says he doesn’t need popcorn, but Donghyuck buys them a bag big enough to share, and lets Taeil eat half of it during the previews alone. The movie starts on time, and Donghyuck settles into his seat for two and a half hours of mind-numbing action.

Ordinarily, it would be easy to ignore Taeil. They don’t talk at all during the movie, but Donghyuck still feels hyper-aware anyway. Their knees press together unnecessarily, and Donghyuck manages to bump Taeil’s elbow on the armrest several times. The popcorn bag crinkles between them, and Donghyuck tries his best to avoid the cliche of sticking his hand in the bag at the same time as Taeil.

He’s so distracted that two and a half hours later he can’t really say what the movie was about. Probably a good thing he didn’t pay for his own ticket after all.

By the time they step out of the movie theatre, it's past midnight. The streets are mostly empty, and Donghyuck tries to discreetly check the train schedule to see if he can still make it home before the metro stops running.

Beside him, Taeil stretches his arms over his head and sighs. A stray piece of popcorn falls from his shirt and lands on the sidewalk. It's quiet between them.

The train schedule tells Donghyuck if he hustles he can make the next train, or else wait 20 minutes for the one after that. Yikes. He stuffs his phone in his pocket and offers Taeil his most cherubic smile and says, "Thanks for the movie."

"Did you like it?" Taeil asks, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Donghyuck shrugs. "It wasn't bad," he says, which is the truth about the parts of the movie he can remember.

Taeil nods his head thoughtfully. “Yeah, not as great as I was hoping,” he says. “But mostly it was just nice to get out of the house for once.”

It’s easy to take note of the information Taeil omits: _It’s nice to get out of the dorm where I live with the rest of my bandmates. It’s nice to see other people for once. It’s nice to do normal things._ Donghyuck may envy the paycheques idols receive, but he doesn’t envy their lack of privacy.

“Speaking of house,” he says, and tries to ignore the way Taeil’s eyes widen in panic. “I should probably head for home. I can still make the next train if I hustle.”

Taeil furrows his brow. “You have to leave already?” he asks. Donghyuck doesn’t point out the time. “I thought if you wanted we could go get tteokbokki and chat. I know movies aren’t really good places to get to know people.”

Foiled. Donghyuck tries not to let his disappointment show on his face. “Oh, I don’t know,” he says casually. “I’m not super hungry at the moment.”

His stomach, traitorous as it is, rumbles. Taeil’s eye raises.

“Okay, well, you know, I’m kind of living that broke college lifestyle at the moment so - “

“My treat,” Taeil insists.

Donghyuck bites his lip. It shouldn’t be so hard to decline the offer. He just has to open his mouth and say, “no thanks.” But there’s something about how Taeil is looking at him: hopeful and sincere. It reminds Donghyuck of how he had sounded on the phone, too. Like going out on a date with Donghyuck was an opportunity Taeil never got to have.

_One night,_ Donghyuck tells himself. _Have your Cinderella story for one night._

“Fine,” he relents. He has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling when Taeil cheers and leads him down the street.

They find a little stand not too far from the theatre that serves them a plate of tteokbokki despite the late hour. Donghyuck tries to be polite and not devour the plate in front of him, but he’s a growing boy. He can’t help it.

“So,” Taeil says, daintily picking up a rice cake with his chopsticks. “Tell me about yourself.”

Donghyuck shrugs a little. “What’s there to know?” he asks. “I’m a second-year music major specializing in performance. And I work at a coffee shop part time.”

Taeil nods. “What do you do in your spare time?” he asks.

Well. Donghyuck can’t exactly say, _follow you around and take pictures of you_, but he doesn’t want to lie, so he says, “Um, I like photography.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Taeil says. “Do you have any pictures I can look at?”

Donghyuck desperately wishes the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He can’t show Taeil his camera roll because it’s largely composed of photos of Taeil, but he does have a seldom-used Instagram account. Donghyuck navigates through the apps on his phone before he pulls up his profile and hands over his phone, hoping that Taeil won’t go snooping through his home feed.

“These are really good,” Taeil says. Every once in a while he’ll turn the phone around to show Donghyuck a specific picture he’s looking at. One is a generic sunset shot Donghyuck took when he went home to Jeju Island in the summer. Another is a shot of Jaemin from behind, the last time they went on a hike in September.

“Thanks,” Donghyuck says sheepishly, ducking his head. He doesn’t do a lot of photography outside of stuff for his fansite, so it’s nice to hear that at least some of his skills translate to the mundane side of his life. “Uh, what about you? I mean, like, tell me about yourself?”

Taeil looks at him critically, and after a moment Donghyuck understands why. He'd never told Taeil that he was a fan of NCT 127, let alone the fansite master for _Taeil Is My Full Sun_. Donghyuck knows a lot about Taeil the Idol, but he'd been asking more about Moon Taeil the person.

Like he's a normal person and they're on a normal date. Donghyuck kills that thought on the spot.

While Donghyuck had been struggling with his internal turmoil, Taeil apparently determined Donghyuck was trustworthy enough to tell his abridged life story to.

"I like singing," Taeil says, to which Donghyuck's brain says, _duh_. "I study music at university, but only part-time. I work and travel a lot."

All things Donghyuck knew already, though he had forgotten that Taeil did online courses. "Cool," he says. "What do you want to do with your music degree?"

Taeil looks surprised by the question. Donghyuck wonders if Taeil's ever been asked, or people just assumed that because he was a kpop idol it made sense for him to major in music.

"Maybe management," he says after a while. "It's something I wouldn't mind getting into down the road."

When his performance career has slowed down. Donghyuck can hear the unspoken words. He bobs his head and inhales more of the tteokbokki.

It's a little awkward, but as they finish off the plate, Donghyuck learns more little details about Taeil. His favourite colour is black (dull). He doesn't like sushi (lame). He's a fan of SHINee (who isn't?). Some of these things are facts Donghyuck knows, but somehow it all feels different coming straight from Taeil's mouth, like it somehow makes the information real instead of something fabricated for the fans.

Donghyuck likes that.

It's almost two in the morning by the time they've stumbled out of the little stand. Donghyuck's missed the last train.

"I'll drive you home," Taeil offers when Donghyuck laments about how much money he's going to have to spend on the taxi, as if he didn't have to pay for any part of the date besides the shared bag of popcorn.

"Oh, that's okay, hyung," Donghyuck says, the honorific feeling strange on his tongue. "I don't want to inconvenience you."

"It's no trouble," Taeil replies, nudging Donghyuck back down the block towards the movie theatre. "I like spending time with you."

It shouldn't make Donghyuck's heart feel all warm and fuzzy, but he likes that their date hasn't been a complete disaster. If he only gets one, at least it was nice.

Taeil's car is -- nice. It's not overly fancy, but it's a nice, understated Mercedes that's just as luxurious inside as it looks from the outside. Donghyuck sinks into soft leather seats and directs Taeil through the city towards the university.

The radio is playing. Donghyuck bites his lip to keep from singing. It's one thing to belt out tunes at noraebang with Jaemin in their spare time. It's another to sing along to songs with Moon Taeil, the nation's vocalist, sitting less than a foot away.

"You're a performance major," Taeil says after glancing over at Donghyuck struggling. "You must be good at singing."

"I'm -- not bad," Donghyuck offers and Taeil just laughs. He cranks the volume on the radio and belts along to the track playing. After a moment, Donghyuck can't hold back anymore and joins in.

They figure out harmonies fairly quickly, and Donghyuck is a little overjoyed by how nice they sound together. Taeil's voice is beautiful and clear. He hits higher notes than Donghyuck like it's easy, sings runs and ad-libs like there's no tomorrow. It makes Donghyuck feel shy, nervous, but Taeil keeps offering him encouraging smiles, and soon enough Donghyuck forgets who he's sitting with and just enjoys the ride.

Taeil jets off for a schedule in America two days later, which is fine. Donghyuck didn't really have a lot of expectations for their relationship beyond that first date, but Taeil texts him. A lot. He gets messages about animals Taeil sees on the street, and food that he tries with his friends (the other members of NCT 127, Donghyuck assumes). There are also just mundane messages, things like, _I hope you have a good day_, and _Good luck with your midterm._ It feels suspiciously like feelings, and Donghyuck isn't sure if he wants that.

It’s one thing to go on a single date with a celebrity. It’s another to sit down and get to know them and to see how _real_ they are. Donghyuck has spent the last few years being as dedicated a fan as anyone; it feels almost unnatural to get to know Taeil as a human being instead of just the subject in front of his camera lens.

But his mama raised him right, so Donghyuck diligently replies to Taeil's messages with tales from the coffee shop and stories about Jaemin and Jeno and Mark.

"I take it the date went well?" Mark asks one day when he catches Donghyuck in the back room smiling down at his phone. Taeil had sent him a picture of a puppy.

"What makes you say that?" Donghyuck asks, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.

"You have that dumb, love-sick look on your face," Mark replies. "The same one Jeno has when he looks at Jaemin."

Donghyuck scrunches his face up. "Thanks, I hate it," he says. There's no way he can be lumped into the same category as Jaemin and Jeno. Donghyuck's never seen two fools more in love.

Mark leans against the doorway. His hair is tucked under a backwards baseball cap today. He dyed it blonde a week ago and Donghyuck is dismayed that it doesn't look worse than it does. It mostly just makes Mark look younger.

"When are you going to go out with him again?" Mark asks, bringing Donghyuck's head down from the clouds.

"Probably never," Donghyuck replies. As nice as the date had been, and despite how often they text, Donghyuck doesn't have any intention of becoming Taeil's dating scandal that ruins his career.

"What? Why?" Mark asks. Donghyuck pushes past him out onto the floor and looks around for something to do. There's no customers. Just the coffee grinder. He goes to get the rubber gloves.

Mark gapes at him. "What are you doing?" he asks, trailing Donghyuck like a lost puppy.

"Cleaning the coffee grinder."

"Who are you and what have you done with my employee?" Mark asks as Donghyuck clambers onto the counter and begins scooping the beans out of the basin. He tugs out the electrical cord for good measure. "Also, stop avoiding my question. Why don't you want to go on another date with him?"

Donghyuck chews his bottom lip. He puts down his scoop and shimmies off the counter.

"Do you have a celebrity role model?" he asks, leaning against the counter. "Or like, a favourite celebrity you really admire?"

Mark frowns. "Sure," he says, but doesn't elaborate. It's fine, Donghyuck doesn't need the finer details anyway.

"You like them because they're kind and thoughtful and hard-working, right? Or something like that?" he asks. "Like, you see all these snippets of their life and you like what you see?"

"Sure," Mark repeats.

"Well, what if they're not like that in real life?" Donghyuck asks.

If possible, Mark's frown gets deeper. "What do you mean?" he asks.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. It's not a difficult concept to grasp. "Like what if they're a real asshole in person, but when the cameras are on they're all nice and lovely and sweet? Wouldn't you hate knowing that your idol is the literal worst?"

Mark hums. "I guess," he says after a long moment. "But what if they're not? You like Taeil for a reason, Hyuck. You picked him as your favourite. Wouldn't it be worth it to find out if he's just as nice as you always thought he was? What if he's your happily ever after?"

Donghyuck stares at Mark for a long moment. Then he bursts out laughing.

"Oh my god," he wheezes, doubled over with his hands on his knees. "Your sugar daddy is really fucking with your brain, bro."

"He's not my sugar daddy!" Mark all but yells. He throws a paper cup at Donghyuck's head, which then spurs a fight of thrown insults and napkins. It only haults when Jaemin and Jeno come traipsing in, demanding to be treated as "paying customers".

Donghyuck ponders Mark's words while he makes drinks. Sure, it could be worth it to find out if Taeil is his fairytale prince and they'll ride off into the sunset in happiness, but it's a risk Donghyuck doesn't want to take. It's not worth it for either of them -- a dating scandal could end Taeil's career, and any other end to their relationship would break Donghyuck's heart. No. He'd rather not mix business and pleasure.

Besides, their relationship has mostly devolved into text messages that fit into Taeil's busy schedule. It'll be easy for Donghyuck to cut himself off.

(Except for how was the each passing day and every text message sent and received, Donghyuck feels a little tiny _something_ bloom in his chest. It feels suspiciously like _hope_ and Donghyuck doesn't want to think about it too much. He doesn't like the idea that maybe he might be pining for Taeil, because what good will come of that? Their relationship won't go anywhere, so what's the point of getting invested?

And yet, it doesn't keep Donghyuck from continuing to reply to Taeil's messages, even if he knows it'll hurt more this way in the end.)

The next time Donghyuck sees Taeil is at a relatively safe distance at the airport. He and Jaemin had ditched their single shared class -- art history -- to see NCT off to Malaysia.

"Why do you insist on wearing that monstrosity?" Donghyuck asks, nodding towards the bright pink bucket hat on Jaemin’s head. “It doesn’t get any more fashionable the more you wear it, you know.”

“I told you, I want Jaehyun to notice me,” Jaemin says, adjusting the zoom on his camera. They’re stationed on the walkway one level up from the main departure area. It means telephoto lenses and some quick angling, but they’ve both discovered it’s a lot easier to stay safe on the upper level. Jaemin’s broken camera from last year is a good reminder.

“You couldn’t have picked something more attractive?” Donghyuck asks. “I don’t even want to be seen with you in public.”

“Good thing no one knows our identities then,” Jaemin snaps. He sighs and rests his camera on the railing, letting the neck strap pull taut with tension. “Look, there’s a lot of Jaehyun fansites out there. Not all of us get the honour of being first.”

Donghyuck preens.

Jaemin looks a little down, though, so he adds, “Your pictures are good, Nana. I’m sure Jaehyun has seen them and likes them.”

Jaemin shoots him a look as if to say, _Thanks for lying to make me feel better,_ before he picks up his camera again. The fans on the main level are starting a low buzz of conversation, which probably means that the vans have pulled up outside the airport.

No matter how many times they’ve done this now, Donghyuck is always so surprised by how loud fans get when their idols appear. The doors to the terminal open and the crowd below them screams as NCT 127 step into the building, led by their security team.

Donghyuck starts snapping away, his lens finding Taeil automatically. He’s dressed nicely today: a pair of black slacks and an airy, white button-up shirt. He looks extra handsome, and it’s only from experience and practice that Donghyuck doesn’t swoon.

Taeil is the first member to disappear past the sliding doors into security. He waves one last time to the crowd before he hands his passport and boarding pass to the attendant. The other members quickly fall in line behind him, but Donghyuck notices Jaehyun lagging behind.

"What's he doing?" Donghyuck asks, nudging Jaemin.

"Shhh," Jaemin hisses, swatting at Donghyuck blindly. "Does it matter? He's pouting so cutely."

Donghyuck's not in the habit of taking photos of other members unless he had to, but they're far enough away that it makes sense for him to use his camera as a pair of binoculars.

Jaehyun is standing in the middle of the concourse, surrounded by screaming fans. There's a member of the security team motioning for him to hurry up, but Jaehyun brushes him off. He's gotten all squinty, looking through the crowd for something, and then he looks up.

Straight into Donghyuck's lens.

He snaps a picture he's so surprised.

The look on Jaehyun's face changes. He grins and waves brightly up at them before hurrying off after his members. The entire crowd turns to face them as well.

"Holy shit, Nana," Donghyuck mutters, lowering his camera. The crowd is starting to make their way towards them, and they're going to need to get going if they want to sneak out.

Jaemin looks like he's seen a ghost. His face is white as a sheet, and Donghyuck has to force the lens cap back on his camera before dragging him off in the direction of the far escalators. The sound of the approaching crowd seems to snap Jaemin out of his stupor, because he picks up his pace until soon enough he and Donghyuck are sprinting out of the airport.

They shed accessories as they make their way to the train, shoving face masks in pockets and cameras carefully into bags as they go. Jaemin's hat disappears into the inside pocket of his coat. By the time they're actually on the train, they look like different people.

Jaemin is oddly quiet, and Donghyuck is a little worried that maybe he's been broken by the day's events. They're three stops away from their station when Jaemin very quietly asks, "Hyuckie. Did that -- did that just happen?"

Donghyuck looks up from his phone, slightly alarmed to see that Jaemin looks like he might cry. He sighs, tucking his phone into his pocket, and pats Jaemin on the back.

"Nana," he says, mustering up the most serious tone he can manage. "I can't believe it but: your stupid pink hat actually worked."

It takes Jaemin almost a full week to recover from his Jaehyun Incident, and he spends almost all of it at the cafe bugging Donghyuck.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jeno asks at the counter, ordering Jaemin another green tea latte. He looks a bit frazzled.

Donghyuck cranes his head over the espresso machine. Jaemin is staring dopily at his phone where he set a waving, smiling Jaehyun as his background.

"If it makes you feel any better, the only other time he did this was when he started dating you," he says, which makes Jeno smile so intensely his eyes disappear into cute little half-moons. Donghyuck is a little offended by how handsome and cute Jeno manages to be at the same time.

"I knew he liked idols but I didn't know it was like this," Jeno admits. "But it's okay. As long as he's happy."

Donghyuck hates how sappy they are.

"Get yourself a man that knows he can't compete with Jung Jaehyun," Mark mutters, pushing a cup of tea across the counter at Jeno.

Donghyuck eyes Mark skeptically. "_You_ know who Jung Jaehyun is?" he asks.

Mark rolls his eyes. "I don't live under a rock, Hyuck."

"Yeah, but you're _old_."

"Yah, I'm a year older than you!" Mark exclaims, and tries to put Donghyuck into a headlock.

It's enough of a commotion that it even draws Jaemin over from their table. He and Jeno take sides and start cheering noisily.

This is, naturally, how Taeil finds them when he comes into the cafe.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" he asks politely. He's not wearing a mask today, but he has a black bucket hat pulled low over his face.

Jaemin squeaks, and Taeil flashes him a brilliant smile.

"We'll just take this and be out of your way," Jeno says, grabbing Jaemin's tea in one hand and Jaemin's hand in the other. He drags them back over to the table, where Jaemin starts whispering furiously.

Mark still has Donghyuck in a headlock, which must be pretty ridiculous looking. Donghyuck resumes his struggling and finally pinches Mark in the ribs to make him let go. Mark squawks, throwing Donghyuck a mean look before saying, "Ah, and what can we get for you today?" He coughs weirdly at the end, which Donghyuck would maybe be concerned about if there was any other customer here.

Taeil shrugs and then nods at Donghyuck. Hyuck feels his face slowly turn red.

"Just a moment of Donghyuck's time," Taeil says. "It's been a while since we've had time to hang out."

"I'm glad your date worked out," Mark says. "Hyuckie won't tell me anything about it."

Taeil raises an eyebrow. "You don't talk about me?" he asks. It's said teasingly, but it still somehow makes Donghyuck feel guilty.

"Ah, hyung, it was just one date," he says sheepishly.

"Which is why we should sit down and plan our next one," Taeil says brightly.

"There's a nice table in the corner that you might like," Mark says, like Donghyuck hadn't just poured his heart out to him a few days ago. "I'll get some drinks started for you."

Taeil smiles, like the scene unfolding in front of his eyes isn't chaotic and unprofessional. "Sure," he says. He slides his card across the counter and adds, "I'll have an iced Americano, please. And then whatever he wants." He nods at Donghyuck and then saunters off to the table in the corner, oblivious to Jaemin and Jeno's bewildered looks.

Mark picks up Taeil's card and punches in his order into the computer. "Yours is on the house," he says to Donghyuck. "Make whatever you like."

_I'll get your drinks my ass._

There are about a hundred different thoughts running through Donghyuck's head at the moment, but the one that manages to escape his mouth is, "You're going to make me make my own drinks?"

Mark glares at him. "I'm trying to help you get your fairytale ending with your favourite kpop idol. It's the least you could do for me."

Donghyuck would very much like to strangle Mark instead, but he can't exactly keep Taeil waiting. Besides, murder might be a bit off-putting. With a sigh, Donghyuck goes about making Taeil's drink and a hot chocolate for himself.

When he sits down, Taeil puts his phone in his pocket and offers Donghyuck a bright smile. Donghyuck tries not to choke on air and offers Taeil his drink and his card back.

"Thanks," Taeil says, taking a sip of his coffee. He lets out a sigh and adds, "Ah, so good."

Donghyuck tries to subtlety look over his shoulders for any hidden cameras. Moon Taeil cannot be sitting across from him making soft moaning sounds about his coffee. That's absolutely too much.

"Um, I'm glad you like it," Donghyuck asks. "How have you been?"

Taeil perks up a bit, like a flower turning towards the sun. "I'm not too bad, thanks," he says. "I just came back from a quick business trip, so it's nice to be able to relax like this, even if just for a moment."

Business trip. Donghyuck thinks about seeing NCT 127 off at the airport. Does Taeil think that Donghyuck doesn't know who he is? Or is he just being polite and trying not to be presumptuous?

"Oh, um, I'm glad," Donghyuck says, and then sips at his hot chocolate.

They lapse into an awkward silence. Donghyuck tries to think of something to say, but finds that he can’t get the words out. Talking had been easy on their date, and they’d sent each other hundreds of texts in the weeks since, but now it just feels weird.

The fact that Jeno and Jaemin are side-eyeing them from the next table over probably doesn’t help much.

“What do you do for work again?” Donghyuck asks, trying to ignore Jaemin’s muffled laughter.

“I work in the music industry,” Taeil says vaguely. “Pretty convenient for my major, I guess.”

It frustrates Donghyuck a little, the half-lies that Taeil keeps feeding him. On the other hand, though, isn’t Donghyuck doing the same? He’d been vague about _Taeil Is My Full Sun_ by saying he liked photography. Isn’t Taeil just keeping the same secret?

Somehow this feels bigger, though. The idea that maybe Taeil would lie through an entire relationship to keep Donghyuck in the dark. Is that the kind of person Taeil is, then? Manipulative and secretive? Suddenly, it feels hard to separate the idol from the person that Donghyuck has gotten to know over the past few weeks.

Taeil of NCT 127 is always kind and smiles prettily and says all the right things in interviews and fansigns.

Moon Taeil is funny and a little dorky and seems vaguely interested in Donghyuck’s mess of a life. He likes the little stories Donghyuck sends him about his dumb customers and spins conspiracy theories with him about Mark’s mysterious older boyfriend.

Currently, Taeil is rambling about a cat cafe he had visited while on his business trip with his colleague. Donghyuck watches his mouth move, but the sound isn’t reaching his ears. He feels a little stupid and a little blinded. After all, what could he offer Moon Taeil that someone else -- someone older, prettier, and more financially stable -- couldn’t?

“Do you think I’m stupid?” he blurts out, cutting Taeil off mid-sentence.

Taeil looks at him, mystified. “No?” he says. He pushes his drink towards the middle of the table and leans his elbows on the table. “Why would you ask that?”

Donghyuck wants to rip his hair out. Beside them, Jeno and Jaemin have gone mysteriously quiet.

"Like, is this some kind of game to you?" he asks. "Pretending to be someone you're not?"

"Hyuckie," Jaemin says, but Donghyuck ignores him. He only has eyes for Taeil.

Taeil looks uncomfortable. His hands twist on the tabletop. "What do you mean?" he asks, but his voice is quiet and wounded sounding.

"Don't play stupid," Donghyuck sneers. “Did you think I wouldn’t know or figure it out in the end? The ‘business trips’ and the ‘colleagues’ and all the half-truths you’ve told me?”

"I know how big NCT 127 is," Taeil says with a frown. "That's how you know me, right? I meant, how am I pretending to be something that I'm not?"

Donghyuck shakes a little. He feels a little unhinged, his emotions running wild. "You're too -- you're too much!" he exclaims nonsensically. "You're nice and you're funny and you make me feel good and -- that can't be real. You're everything I thought you would be and more, and I can't shake the thought that this is all an act."

"Are you a fan?" Taeil asks. He swirls the straw in his drink, looking angry. It's the first time Donghyuck has seen him look pissed off. "Is that why you asked me out? You just wanted to see what it would be like to go on a date with Moon Taeil? See if you could get into an idol's pants?"

Behind them, Mark drops something heavy on the floor.

"What?" Donghyuck asks. Suddenly, everything feels too intense. Their relationship -- as minor as it is -- is disintegrating before his eyes, and even if Donghyuck had intended to ghost Taeil, it doesn't make this fight hurt any less. "First of all, no, it was not the only reason I asked you out. Second of all, you said yes! You gave me your number! Clearly you're the one looking for something."

He stands up, feeling his instincts shift from _fight_ to _flight_. Taeil looks a little dumbstruck, like he wasn't expecting so much attitude from such a sweet looking face (Jeno's words, not Donghyuck's), so Donghyuck takes it as his cue to leave. He scoops up his drink and then -- in a spectacularly petty move -- he snatches Taeil's half-finished drink from his hands too before marching to the back room of the cafe.

"Wait," Taeil calls, seemingly snapped out of his stupor. "Donghyuck, wait."

Donghyuck flips him the bird over his shoulder and doesn't look back.

Donghyuck's friends tread around him carefully for a week, like they're walking on eggshells. To be fair, when Mark had tentatively brought up his disastrous meet-up the next day, Donghyuck had yelled so loudly half the customers in the cafe left. It was not a good day for sales.

But after a week, Jaemin, Jeno, and Mark sit him down at a table in the cafe and call it an intervention.

"You can't call it an intervention. There's nothing to intervene with. We had a fight and now we don't talk anymore and it sucks but that's it," Donghyuck says, firmly folding his arms across his stomach. Protect the soft bits. "And the lesson we all learned is: don't meet your idols."

Jaemin pouts. "Hyuckie," he whines, but Donghyuck steps on his foot.

"Don't you dare use your aegyo on me, Na Jaemin!"

If possible, Jaemin pouts more, and Donghyuck has to look away. Unfortunately, it means he has to stare at Mark's judgemental face.

"Why didn't you give him a chance?" Mark asks. "You of all people should understand why he was so wary about your intentions in the first place."

Donghyuck hates the accusation, hates the implication that he's in the wrong, because maybe he was a little petty, but his feelings were a little hurt too. It's not like he and Taeil were strangers; he hated that even after all the messages they'd sent, all the jokes they'd shared, Taeil could quickly jump to the idea that Donghyuck might be using him.

"I don't know why all of you are so insistent on taking his side," he huffs. "You're all my friends first."

Mark at least looks a little guilty. Jaemin's brow just furrows. "We want you to stop being so sad and grumpy all the time," he says, which is not at all what Donghyuck wants to hear.

"Excuse me?" he screeches.

Jeno winces and pets a hand through Jaemin's hair. "What Nana means," he begins, "is that we want you not to be so lonely. It's not because he's Taeil. It's because he was someone you're interested in, and we wanted to support you."

Damn. Donghyuck glares a little; he hates that Jeno is also a considerate friend as well as a fantastic boyfriend.

"Who says I was interested?" he huffs. "We only went on one real date. It wasn't even a relationship. It was nothing."

Jaemin rolls his eyes. "You've run a fansite for him for four years. _Taeil Is My Full Sun_ is the most followed Taeil fansite there is. The fandom gave you a nickname!"

"It doesn't mean I'm interested!" Donghyuck replies petulantly. "It just means I'm a dedicated fan."

"You're impossible," Mark mutters. It's been a pretty quiet afternoon, but a customer wanders in so Mark hustles off to the counter to take their order. The others stay put.

"Look, I know you're scared of commitment and relationships and feelings, but you can't push away everyone who shows an interest in you," Jaemin continues.

"I'm not scared of commitment," Donghyuck says, but it sounds like a weak argument even to his own ears.

Taeil is the first date Donghyuck has gone on since high school. Renjun has been just as snarky and sarcastic as Donghyuck himself, but as soon as he had hinted at wanting something more, Donghyuck has balked. Going out with Renjun would mean changing their relationship, and what if it didn't work out? Then he'd be left with nothing.

Donghyuck's looked at every relationship opportunity with the same lens: if he doesn't give anyone a chance, he won't get hurt when it all goes south in the end.

And since there's been no one of interest since Renjun in high school, there's been no one else to push away. When he mentions as such, Jaemin and Jeno both snicker.

"Just because there haven't been other dates doesn't mean others haven't been interested," Jaemin says.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, like Mark," Jeno says, which makes Donghyuck spill his water across the table, all nostalgic thoughts of Renjun fleeing his mind.

"Mark!" he whisper-screams. He feels simultaneously disgusted and also offended on behalf of Mark's mysterious boyfriend.

"Okay, no, that was a bad way to phrase it," Mark says, coming back to their table and sitting down next to Donghyuck again. "I definitely have never had romantic feelings towards you."

"I would be offended if I didn't know you had a sugar daddy. Like, I can respect that."

Mark frowns, like he's thinking of retorting, but then thinks better of it. He sighs, long-sufferingly and says, "I was never interested like that, but I did want to be friends when you first started and you were absolutely having none of that."

"That's not true," Donghyuck says, despite knowing it is definitely true.

He's not emotionally stupid, but he does remember being a little wary of Mark in the beginning. Besides the fact that Mark was young and seemingly running the cafe by himself, he was pretty reserved. Any efforts he made at conversing with Donghyuck were pretty awkward, usually capped off with some weird, nervous laughter. Donghyuck had jumped pretty early to the conclusion that Mark probably had a crush on him.

He was nothing if not professional, though, and in the end he and Mark had become something akin to friends.

"Fine, but that's one other person," Donghyuck says.

His friends exchange glances.

"Okay, well there was Kun who tried to tutor you in introductory Chinese last year."

"And Yeri, from Psych 101."

"Oh, and don't forget about Lucas last summer."

"Stop!" Donghyuck yells. His face feels like it's on fire. He doesn't embarrass easily, but this somehow feels humiliating.

"We just want you to be happy, Hyuckie," Jaemin repeats, momentarily detaching himself from Jeno to throw himself across Donghyuck's lap.

"And we're hoping you'll be less demonic with someone to help temper your soul."

Donghyuck side-eyes Mark over the top of Jaemin's head. "You think Taeil is the one to exorcise the darkness from my soul?"

Mark laughs. "Maybe?" he says. "Why not? He's our only current candidate."

Or, he was. Donghyuck is sure that the only time he'll be seeing Taeil again will be through the telephoto lens of his camera. And maybe that's the way it should be. That's what his life was before; it can just be that way again.

"We'll see," Donghyuck says. "Saying sorry isn't exactly my strong suit."

"We know that," his friends chime back at him.

It's kind of silly, to need to be sat down and told about his short-comings, but Donghyuck does appreciate it. He's happy that he has friends to lean on, and for a moment, he lets himself wonder if Taeil has the same. If he's sitting down with the members of NCT 127 and telling them about how Donghyuck had flipped him off in public.

Maybe his ship with Taeil has sailed, but at least Donghyuck will be a memorable blip in Taeil's life.

As happens every year, Donghyuck finds himself in a weird space of having to -- regretfully -- choose school over fan activities. He puts _Taeil's My Full Sun_ on rest and buckles down and studies.

"I'm just glad you still have time to work here," Mark says. The cafe has picked up lately, the tables filled with students studying for midterms. Donghyuck spends most of his shifts making coffees while studying a chart of formulas he's taped above the espresso machine.

Without any fan activities, thoughts of Taeil gradually filter out of Donghyuck's head. He doesn't have time to worry about boys, and even Jaemin and Jeno's disgustingly cute behaviour can bother him when he's trying to cram as much math into his head as he can.

The thing that does break him, though? The giant hickey on Mark's hip that Donghyuck spots on a Sunday morning when Mark reaches up to grab something from a shelf in their back room.

"What is that?" Donghyuck screeches, and all but tackles Mark to the ground.

"Oh my god," Mark groans, rubbing the back of his head and trying to push Donghyuck off him. "What is what?"

Donghyuck rucks up the edge of Mark's shirt, fighting with the ladybug print apron he's wearing. There's a surprising ring of bruises lining the waistline of Mark's pants. Donghyuck screams behind closed lips.

Mark's face has turned a brilliant shade of red. He manages to wrestle his shirt out of Donghyuck's limp hands and tucks it back into his pants. "Don't worry about it," he says, voice cracking awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it?" Donghyuck shouts, getting to his feet and pulling Mark up after him. Mark makes a beeline for the storefront, forgetting whatever it was that he was trying to get from the shelf in the first place. Donghyuck doesn't make an effort to grab it either; there are more important things in life. Like: "How can I not worry about it? Your boyfriend is like a dog with a chew toy."

Jaemin and Jeno are standing at the counter, looking fairly unimpressed with the lack of service. There are a couple people standing behind them, too, heads turned together to whisper quietly. Donghyuck rolls his eyes. Is everyone in this city in a relationship with someone else?

Jaemin's eyes light up. Donghyuck's certain that if Jaemin were a dog his tail would be wagging. "Are we talking about Mark's mysterious boyfriend again?" he asks, leaning on the counter with his chin cupped in his hands. Jeno just smiles and hands over his card; he'll get their usual, Donghyuck figures.

"Yeah, look at what he did to my lovely manager," Donghyuck says, and attempts to strip Mark again in the middle of the store.

Mark squawks and elbows Donghyuck square in the solar plexus. Donghyuck wheezes and tries his best to stay on his feet. Jaemin laughs so hard he actually falls on the floor.

"You can tell! You don't need to show!" Mark exclaims, which is probably an improvement from when they had first met and Mark hated when Donghyuck would reveal any tidbit of his personal life to Jaemin. Donghyuck will take the wins where he can get them.

Jaemin manages to haul himself up using the edge of the counter. He wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. "Wait," he says, gasping over his giggles. "What is Hyuckie trying to show us?"

"How Daddy marks his territory," Donghyuck sneers. The customer behind Jaemin and Jeno sneezes violently.

"He's not my sugar daddy," Mark hisses, swiping Jeno's card through the machine. He shoos Donghyuck off down the line to make their drinks, and then glares at Jeno and Jaemin to get them to move along too. "Sorry about that," Donghyuck hears him to say to the next customers in line.

Donghyuck makes Jeno and Jaemin's drinks on autopilot, pouring cold brew into one cup and filling up another with hot water. He's trying to side-eye Mark as much as he can, but now that Mark is stationary, there's no chance for him to see under his shirt.

"Are you trying to develop x-ray vision?" Jaemin asks, peering around the counter.

"No," Donghyuck replies, because if it meant seeing under everyone's clothes, he'll pass. He doesn't need to see Mark's dick or anything.

"Then why are you so interested?" Jeno adds.

Donghyuck opens his mouth, then closes it again. It's not really jealousy, but he is morbidly curious about the identity of Mark's mysterious boyfriend. And the fact that he now has a very vague idea of what they get up to in bed does nothing to scratch the itch.

He's also not entirely convinced that Mark's boyfriend still isn't some creepy 40-year-old who's using Mark in some way, and Donghyuck is not about to let his manager get murdered in a fancy mansion if he can help it.

"Hyuck," Mark calls, snapping Donghyuck out of his thoughts. He glances at Mark, who's nodding towards two more cups on the counter, ready to be filled with drinks. "You can chat with Dumb and Dumber later."

"I'm Dumb," Jeno announces, while Jaemin squawks in protest. They scoop up their drinks and drift off to their usual table, arguing about academic prowess while Donghyuck hurries to make the next drinks.

An iced Americano and a caramel macchiato. The Americano reminds Donghyuck of Taeil, and he tries not to linger on the idol while he works. Sure, maybe his friends are right about his fear of commitment, but it's not like anything could happen with Taeil anyway. He's an idol and Donghyuck is … a guy. A scandal is one thing, but a gay scandal would be worse. It makes Donghyuck's stomach roll a little, and his voice sounds a little choked when he calls out the drinks.

"Orders for -- Johnny and Jaehyun?"

It seems coincidental, that Donghyuck had been thinking of Taeil and the next two customers happened to have names of members of NCT 127. But when the customers come up to grab their drinks, Donghyuck does a double-take.

Even under the baseball hats and glasses and face masks, Donghyuck _knows._

"Thanks," Johnny says, grabbing his drink -- the Americano. He winks at Donghyuck, which honestly makes Donghyuck a little weak in the knees.

"Um, yeah, no problem," Donghyuck replies. He's about to turn towards Mark to see if his manager had noticed who their customers were, when he freezes mid-turn. If Taeil had ever spoken about Donghyuck to the other members, he would've mentioned that Donghyuck was a barista at the cafe. Which means Johnny and Jaehyun undoubtedly know who he is.

Donghyuck suddenly feels a little hot under the collar.

"Do you want to stay or should we head back?" he hears Johnny ask.

"We can head back, but before we go I have to give this to that guy over there. He dropped it when he fell on the floor."

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. Trust Jaemin to be a walking disaster. He turns around just in time to watch Jaehyun stride across the cafe to Jeno and Jaemin. Jaemin's eyes look like they're about to burst out of his head.

"C'mon," Mark says, suddenly appearing at Donghyuck's elbow with a spray bottle and a cloth. Donghyuck raises an eyebrow. They've only been open for a couple hours; the tables can't be that dirty. But Mark nudges him out from behind the counter and leads him over to the table next to Jaemin and Jeno's. Ah. Stealth observation. Donghyuck's into that.

They set about cleaning and rearranging the small vase on the tabletop as Jaehyun approaches the table next to them. Donghyuck spies Jaemin kicking Jeno under the table.

"Hi," Jaehyun says. Even with the mask, Donghyuck can tell he's smiling. "I think you dropped this up by the counter."

Jaemin has managed to school his face into something close to polite curiosity, but as soon as Jaehyun deposits the item on the table, his face turns as white as a sheet. Donghyuck would be worried he was going to pass out, if he weren't too busy having his yelling muffled by Mark's hand.

Sitting on the tabletop is Jaemin's bright pink bucket hat.

It's a bit of a miracle that Jaemin doesn't faint on the spot.

As it is, he does make some abrupt squeaking noise and dash off to the bathroom. Poor Jeno just looks confused but thanks Jaehyun anyway.

"Sorry about that," he says, dusting off the hat and tucking it into Jaemin's abandoned bag. "I don't know what's up with him. He doesn't even really like this hat that much anyway."

"Oh?" Jaehyun asks. His eyebrows disappear under his fringe.

"I mean -- " Donghyuck throws his towel at Jeno, and watches with satisfaction as it smacks him in the face.

"He doesn't wear it regularly," Donghyuck replies. "Just for special occasions."

Despite being on rest, they had gone to the agency again a couple days ago and apparently, Jaemin had just stuffed his ugly pink bucket hat in his school bag and forgot about it. The odds of this chance encounter with Jaehyun are truly astounding.

After another moment or two it becomes clear that Jaemin is not going to return from the bathroom. Johnny is looking pointedly between his watch, the door, and Jaehyun.

"Okay," Jaehyun says after an uncomfortably long silence. "Well, can you thank him for me?"

Jeno's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "For what?" he asks. "You're the one that picked up his hat."

Jaehyun tugs on his mask and offers them a smile that shows off his dimples. Not even Donghyuck and his icy, cold heart can resist swooning a little.

"Can you thank him for taking really nice photos of me?" he asks. "He's my favourite fansite master-nim."

At this point, Johnny is over at the door, somehow engaging Mark in what looks to be a bit of a one-sided conversation about coffee. When Jaehyun joins them, Johnny gives Mark a punch on the shoulder and leads Jaehyun out the door.

All in all, it's an eventful afternoon.

"What the heck was that?" Mark asks, returning to the table, rubbing his shoulder lightly.

Donghyuck is about to answer when they hear a quiet voice drift down the hallway: "Are they gone now?"

"You can come out now, Nana," Jeno calls back, and a moment later Jaemin comes slinking back into view.

His face is still a bit pale, and the ends of his hair are damp, like he had splashed some water on his face in the bathroom. He offers them all a sheepish smile and slides back into his seat. Donghyuck rolls his eyes.

"You literally cannot talk to me about Taeil ever again," Donghyuck says, picking up Jaemin's hat and throwing it at him. "At least I didn't run away!"

"Well -- " Mark starts, and then is effectively cut off by the coldest stare Donghyuck can muster.

"It's just -- " Jaemin takes a deep breath and sinks into his seat, clutching his hat. "I wanted Jaemin to notice me at events so he'd look in my camera more. I didn't actually want to, like, meet him."

"Why?" Jeno asks. "He's your favourite. I thought he was the only man you'd ever leave me for."

Jaemin offers him a soft smile. "Idols create this persona that is so well crafted and seamless, and then they send it out into the world to appear in music videos and go on music shows and show up at fansigns. What if the person underneath all that isn't someone I'd like? What if they're rude or inconsiderate? I don't want the perfect idea of who Jaehyun is in my head to be ruined by what he might actually be like in real life."

Mark frowns. "You think that idols are bad people underneath it all?"

Jaemin shrugs a little. "Aren't we all?" he asks. "I know none of us at this table are bad, but we all have habits that bug each other a little. I love Jaehyun and I admire him, but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to be friends with him."

"I don't know," Mark says slowly. He looks quite troubled by the conversation, like it's changing his world view or something. "I'm sure he's not a bad guy."

"Probably not, but better to be safe than sorry," Jaemin says, then sinks into his chair enough so that he can drop his head on Jeno's shoulder. "But in glad he likes my pictures."

The conversation shifts to more demanding issues, such as school work and cold coffees and what they're doing on the weekend, but Donghyuck tunes it all out in favour of staring off into the middle distance.

He had told them all that he hadn't wanted Taeil because he was insulted that Taeil thought he'd only asked him out because of the fame, and then everyone had come to their own conclusions about his commitment issues. But Jaemin's words had reminded Donghyuck of his own similar view of meeting people he admired. He liked how it was nice to have an idea of an idol and let it be separate from the real deal, but if he was nervous about meeting the real Taeil, didn't that negate the things he'd yelled at Taeil in the coffee shop anyway? If it wasn't about the fame, what was it about for Donghyuck?

It had to be the getting-to-know part, and that frightened Donghyuck a little.

The little piece of paper with Taeil's phone number had thus far lived its life on a metal filing cabinet in the corner of Donghyuck's room. He hadn't really looked at it, had let it blend in until it became a part of the decor.

Now, Donghyuck finds himself staring at it pointedly.

There's absolutely no reason for Donghyuck to feel as bad as he does. Truly, he shouldn't be as bothered by his guilty conscience as he is; he might not ever have to see Taeil again as Donghyuck.

But it's the fact that the number is there, sitting on his cabinet, that has Donghyuck conflicted. If he just had to leave it up to chance, he'd never have to apologize. His heart, however, has other ideas. It reminds him that he _does_ have a way of getting in touch with Taeil, that he could apologize if he wanted to, and it eats at him.

What Donghyuck really needs is some advice, but he doesn't really know who to go to. His friends consist of Jaemin, Jeno, and Mark, and it doesn't really inspire a ton of confidence in him that they'll be able to give him any actual guidance.

But, given his options, there's only one of his friends he'd _actually_ go to advice for, which is why he drags Mark into the back room after closing one day and asks, "Okay. What should I do?"

Mark blinks at him owlishly. "What should you do about what?"

Frustrated, Donghyuck waves his hand around in a vague motion.

"Dude, surprisingly, a telepathic bond has not opened up between us. I'm gonna need you to use some words."

Donghyuck pouts. Having a telepathic bond with Mark would be super useful, but he's suddenly also reminded of how often he curses Mark in his head, and decides it's probably a good thing it never developed. Words it is, then.

"What should I do about Taeil?"

Mark's eyebrows disappear under his fringe. "Taeil?" he repeats.

"Yes, Taeil." Donghyuck resists the urge to stamp his foot. "I can't stop thinking about him. What should I do about it!"

Mark opens his mouth, then closes it again. He looks like a goldfish, Donghyuck thinks viciously. A particularly dumb goldfish.

"I think I'm going to need some help with this," Mark mutters, and pulls out his phone.

"What?" Donghyuck asks, but before he can wrangle an explanation out of Mark, Mark's already speaking into the phone.

"Hyung. Hi. Can you come meet me at the shop? We're having an emotional emergency."

Donghyuck steps on Mark's foot, and Mark hangs up with a scowl.

"Who was that?" Donghyuck exclaims, frowning. "I didn't say you could invite people into this! I'm having a meltdown. Think of my pride!"

Mark rolls his eyes and drags Donghyuck back out into the cafe and sits him down at Jaemin and Jeno's regular table. "It's my boyfriend," he says. "I thought you'd be excited to meet him."

That news certainly perks Donghyuck up. He straightens in his seat and tries to stealthily fix his hair in the reflection from the espresso machine. Just because he's having a crisis doesn't mean he can't make himself look respectable for Mark's sugar daddy. Maybe he knows someone who can fill Donghyuck's bank account.

He's still thinking about what he would do with all the disposable income when Mark comes back to the table with three drinks. Donghyuck hadn't even noticed when Mark had made them.

"Now we have to clean everything again," he complains, but accepts the hot chocolate Mark gives him anyway.

Mark shrugs. "Don't worry about it," he says. "I can do it later."

It's a little suspicious, how nice Mark is being, but his thoughts are interrupted by the jingling of keys in the lock. Donghyuck's head swings towards the door where a hooded figure is stepping into the shop.

The first thought that runs through Donghyuck's head is, _holy shit, Mark is fucking the owner._ The second thought is, _holy shit, Mark is fucking Johnny Suh?_

Because it is Johnny Suh that walks through the door and pulls the hood off his head. Johnny Suh of NCT 127.

Donghyuck is so surprised he yells and startles Mark hard enough that he drops the iced Americano he was holding on the floor. Coffee spills everywhere.

"Why did you do that?" Mark exclaims, clutching at his chest.

Donghyuck still feels a little lost for words. He points at Johnny, then at Mark, then flails his arms around a little.

Mark looks a little perturbed by all the charades, but Johnny just laughs. He locks the door behind him and disappears into the back room, coming back out with a mop.

"I know you called for emotional support, but I didn't know I'd have to be a cleanup crew too," he says, mopping at the mess on the floor. He kisses Mark on the cheek on the way past, which makes Mark's face turn red and Donghyuck yell again. This is too much.

"Explain," he demands.

"What do you want to know?" Johnny asks, in lieu of Mark's embarrassed silence.

"Your Mark's boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"And you own this coffee shop?"

"My family does. But I'm the only one in Korea so, I do most of the heavy lifting."

Donghyuck eyes the two of them critically, then asks, "Okay, but seriously. _You're_ Mark's boyfriend? Why? You look like you and Mark looks like -- " He trails off, hoping the silence conveys his point well enough.

Johnny just laughs and leans the mop up against the counter. "You'll have to wash that later," he tells Mark, nodding at the floor. "But at least you won't slip in it now."

Mark nods. He won't meet anyone's eyes, and Donghyuck would find that hilarious if he weren't still so weirded out by everything that's happening.

In the end, Johnny manages to drag Mark over to the table Donghyuck is sitting at, and sits him down in a chair with his tea. "I can make you another drink," Mark mumbles, but Johnny just waves his offer away and says, "I'll just have some of yours."

It's weirdly domestic, and any other day Donghyuck would want to ask a million questions about _how_ this relationship came into existence, but he's very suddenly reminded of why Johnny is here. Because Donghyuck was having an emotional crisis about Taeil and needed advice.

His face pales.

"So," Johnny says, extending a hand. "I'm Johnny."

"Donghyuck," Donghyuck murmurs, shaking Johnny's hand.

"You're having an emotional crisis?"

Donghyuck immediately wants to smack his face on the table. He was all for receiving advice from someone older and wiser than his immediate friend group, but he couldn’t exactly talk to Johnny about his Taeil-related problems.

But judging from the smirk on his face, Donghyuck thinks that maybe Johnny must already know about what he’s working himself up about.

“Okay,” Johnny says, leaning back in his chair. “If you could say anything to Taeil-hyung right now, what would you say?”

“Who says this is about Taeil?” Donghyuck asks weakly, and gets a kick in the shin from Mark in return. “Okay, okay.”

He has several drafted text messages saved on his phone, all lengthy and defensive, but when Donghyuck opens his mouth to answer Johnny’s question, all that comes out is, “I’m sorry.”

Johnny looks pleased. “That’s a good start.”

Donghyuck sighs and sips at his hot chocolate. It’s made just the way he likes it, which maybe says a lot about Mark’s observational skills. Donghyuck didn’t think anyone knew he added cinnamon to the recipe.

“I think I would tell him I was intimidated, and that -- generally -- I’m scared of commitment, but that I’d like to get to know him better? Like, the real him. And that I won’t jump to conclusions about personas and whatnot.”

“Alright,” Johnny says nodding. “That sounds pretty good.”

“But what about Taeil-hyung?” Mark asks, glancing at his boyfriend quizzically.

“What about him?”

“Well, what would he say to Hyuckie?” Mark’s face has twisted itself rather comically into a pout. “He wasn’t exactly tactful when they had coffee.”

A slow smile spreads across Johnny’s face, and he leans in to kiss Mark on the nose. Donghyuck would be pleased by how embarrassed Mark gets, if not for the fact that it’s still extremely weird to be able to put a face to Mark’s mysterious boyfriend.

“I’m sure Taeil-hyung has some apologies of his own,” Johnny replies, but he’s still looking at Mark when he says it, like Donghyuck’s not even there anymore.

“Okay,” Donghyuck says slowly, tugging his coat on. “Not that this wasn’t about me or anything, but if you guys are just going to be all lovey-dovey with each other, I’m gonna bounce.”

Mark manages to rip his eyes away from Johnny. He at least looks a little guilty. “You don’t have to go, Hyuckie,” he says. “We can talk about your feelings more, if you want.”

Donghyuck makes a face. “I think I’ve done enough emoting for one day, thanks,” he says dryly, but then a thought crosses his mind. He sinks back into his seat and puts his elbows on the table, cupping his hands. “But, I can think of some other conversation topics.”

Mark’s face pales.

“Johnny-hyung, please, please, please tell me all of Mark’s most embarrassing stories.”

Johnny just laughs. “I think you made a good choice in hiring him,” he tells Mark, before mimicking Donghyuck’s posture and starting in on the story of how he and Mark met.

Donghyuck means to call Taeil the day after meeting Johnny. He really does. But life gets in the way. He has a paper that he forgot to write due, and then a six-hour movie marathon with Jaemin and Jeno, and his shifts at the cafe. Everyday, Mark asks him if he's called Taeil yet, and everyday Donghyuck feels extremely judged when he says that he hasn't.

He's making the commute from the choral practice room to the agency building again. Six minutes and 18 seconds from the practice room to the bus loop. 16 minutes and 42 seconds to the metro. Two minutes and 54 seconds to the agency building. There's no traffic issues, delayed trains, or tripping up the stairs. It's the perfect commute.

Still, Donghyuck's stomach is in knots.

When he gets to the building, there's already a lot of people waiting, and it takes Donghyuck a moment to spot Jaemin. He's not wearing his pink bucket hat, which makes his sandy blonde hair blend in with the crowd.

"You're lucky you're reasonably tall," Donghyuck grumbles, squeezing through the crowd to get to Jaemin. Jaemin just rolls his eyes and drags Donghyuck over to the same ledge they were sitting on last time. Donghyuck hops up immediately, but Jaemin hesitates.

"What's wrong?" Donghyuck asks. "And where's your hat?"

Jaemin shrugs, but hauls himself up on the wall. "It's weird now, isn't it?" Jaemin asks, kicking his feet a little while he pulls out his camera. "He knows it's me. So wouldn't it be weird to put the hat on? He'll see me."

"That was the point, Nana," Donghyuck huffs. He screws the lens on his camera and takes a few test shots. "Besides, it doesn't have to be weird. You don't ever have to talk to him outside of events like this. You can just have the best pictures of him ever, and leave it at that."

Jaemin looks at him thoughtfully. "Yeah?" he asks, voice tentative.

"Yes," Donghyuck replies. "It doesn't have to be complicated."

Which is, of course, when it gets extremely complicated.

Jaemin digs his hat out of his back pocket and shoves it on his head. It's extremely rumpled, but it's just as horrendously pink as ever, so it serves its purpose.

NCT 127 emerges from the agency. They pause to wave at the crowd. Donghyuck snaps as many photos of Taeil as he needs, then shifts his camera to Johnny. Maybe Mark will like the pictures.

Johnny is standing next to Jaehyun at the end of the line. He spots Donghyuck -- or probably Jaemin -- and winks, which makes the crowd go wild.

And then Jaehyun sees Jaemin.

A grin breaks out on Jaehyun's face, dimples flashing. The crowd goes wild. Jaehyun waves at them, then tugs on Johnny's arm and points their way.

Immediately, the crowd turns too.

"Oh shit," Donghyuck hears Jaemin say, just before the crowd starts shouting at them.

The nice thing about the wall is that it puts them in a place to get good photos above the crowd. The bad thing is that there's nowhere else to go. The crowd presses forward, cutting off any escape routes, and for the first time since he started all these crazy fan activities for his fansite, Donghyuck feels _afraid_.

"Nana," he says, reaching out for Jaemin. Someone grabs his hand, but it's not Jaemin. Donghyuck has a split second to catch the terrified expression on Jaemin's face before Donghyuck gets tugged into the crowd.

There's a lot of yelling. People are asking him questions, tugging on his clothes and his arms, and his camera. Donghyuck feels the panicked scream well in his throat as he gets pulled further into the crowd, away from where Jaemin is still crouched on the wall with their stuff.

There's a whistle blowing somewhere, and over the high pitched screaming of all the female fans, Donghyuck picks out the deep voice of one of NCT 127's security guards. Another hand wraps around Donghyuck's arm and forcefully tugs him out of the crowd. Donghyuck shouts again, but the hand keeps tugging until Donghyuck is being pushed through a gap in the gates separating the crowd from the idols.

There's someone waiting for him on the other side of the gates, and they usher him into the agency building before anyone else can grab at him.

Any other day, Donghyuck would be trying to snap photos of the inside of the building. This was where the artists hung out, the part that wasn't available to the public. As it is, he's desperately trying to not have a panic attack.

It feels like there are a million things that he needs to prioritize at the same time. Is he hurt anywhere? Is his camera broken? What happened to Jaemin? He should text Jeno and Mark but his phone was in his bag on the wall. Shit, all his stuff --

"Hey," a voice is saying to him. It sounds very far away. "Hyuckie, c'mon, breathe for me."

Donghyuck shakes his head, because he's suddenly very aware of the fact that there is not enough air getting to his lungs. His breath is coming quicker, and when someone grabs his arms to steady him, Donghyuck holds on.

"Hyuckie," the voice says again. It sounds familiar, but it's so hard to tell when everything feels like it's underwater. It must be someone who knows him, though. No one else uses that nickname.

Eventually, Donghyuck calms down. His breathing seems to come easier, and he can register that there's someone holding him, someone stroking his hair. His face is damp with tears, which would normally embarrass him, but mostly he's just glad he can feel _anything_ again.

It takes him a moment to realize that he's sitting on the floor. His camera has been removed and is sitting off to his left, and there's someone sitting behind him, bracing him. In front of him sits Taeil.

Donghyuck's body briefly considers panicking again, but the person behind him must feel the way his body stiffens, because a hand starts carding through his hair again.

"You're okay now," the person says, and when Donghyuck twists around he's relieved to see Johnny. "You're safe here."

It reminds Donghyuck of something critical, though. "What about Jaemin?" he asks, glancing at the outside doors.

"We'll get him, don't worry," Johnny says.

Taeil is still looking at him, nervously worrying his bottom lip. He looks younger like this, a little more vulnerable maybe. It’s the first time Donghyuck has seen him since the coffee shop. It adds to the uneasiness coiling in his stomach.

They sit in silence a little longer before the doors open and a flock of security guards come in. Two of them are holding bags, and Donghyuck recognizes his camera bag and school backpack immediately. The other two guards have a teary-eyed Jaemin between them, and Donghyuck squirms out of Johnny's arms to embrace his friend.

"I'm okay," Jaemin mumbles, tucking his nose against Donghyuck's neck. He's crying still, but Donghyuck chooses not to comment. Instead, he squeezes Jaemin until it hurts to be pressed together so tightly, and says, "Me too."

When they pull apart, Donghyuck becomes very aware of everyone staring at them. Johnny and Taeil have stood up and the rest of NCT 127 has gathered around. The security team is also still looking at them, all of their belongings clutched in their hands.

"Um," Donghyuck says eloquently.

Jaehyun is the first to step forward. He looks distressed: his hair is disheveled and he's been gnawing at his bottom lip with worry. "I'm sorry," he blurts out. "I didn't know they'd do that to you. I just wanted you to have a nice picture."

Jaemin shivers behind Donghyuck, but he doesn't say anything. His bucket hat and face mask are missing, maybe lost in the tussling outside. It makes him look painfully exposed.

"It wasn't your fault," Donghyuck offers when Jaemin remains silent. "Like you said, you didn't know they would swarm like that."

Jaehyun looks slightly placated, but Jaemin's silence troubles Donghyuck. He has an inkling of what his friend is thinking. "But," he adds, catching everyone's attention again. "You shouldn't show such favouritism like that again. We know the risks of coming to take pictures of you guys, but we could've really gotten hurt today."

Jaehyun looks properly chastised. He ducks his head and mumbles another apology. Johnny claps him on the shoulder kindly.

"Donghyuck is right," he says. Some of the members look confused, so he adds, "Or, _Haechan-masternim_."

Donghyuck feels himself blush to the roots of his hair.

Taeil is staring at him, eyes wide with surprise. He didn't know, Donghyuck thinks faintly. All those weeks they’d spent talking -- and all the weeks they didn’t -- and Taeil had never known. He wonders if any of the members knew; Donghyuck had told Mark, and after finding out who Mark was dating, had assumed Mark had told Johnny. And that Johnny would have told Taeil.

Now he's a little unsure.

"Wow, you're Haechan-masternim?" Jaehyun asks in surprise. "You were Taeil-hyung's first fansite. Your pictures are awesome."

Donghyuck nods. He can't look away from Taeil.

"Maybe we should talk," Taeil says quietly, gesturing down the hall that Donghyuck presumes leads further into the agency building.

"Oh," Donghyuck says. He's not sure why he feels so nervous; he had been intending to message Taeil anyway, but now everything feels more charged with his fansite identity out in the open. "Alright."

Jaemin squeezes his arm. "You don't have to go," he says quietly. "Or I'll go with you if you don't want to go alone."

Donghyuck feels himself smile for the first time since the mobbing. He's lucky, he thinks, to have a friend like Jaemin. "I'll be okay," he says. "If you wanted to head out without me, that's okay. But maybe call Jeno. You look like you're two seconds away from a nervous breakdown, Nana."

Jaemin grins, a little silly looking, and pulls Donghyuck into a hug. "You better come back here with a boyfriend," he whispers, which earns him a slap to the back of the head. But he's still smiling when Donghyuck pulls away, and it's what Donghyuck clings to as he follows Taeil down the hall into the agency itself.

Taeil leads him upstairs, through a nondescript staircase that spits them out in a small lounge area that Donghyuck has seen only through his computer screen. He's seen plenty of VLive broadcasts of idols sitting on the couches in this room, and it makes Donghyuck head spin a little. Here he is, in one of the most exclusive buildings in the country, talking to Taeil.

"Do you want some water or anything?" Taeil asks, hovering anxiously halfway between one of the couches and the small bar that's off to the side of the room.

"Water would be nice, thanks," Donghyuck says. Apparently getting mobbed by dozens of screaming fans will dehydrate a person. He wonders if this is how Taeil feels all the time.

Taeil nods, motions to the couch, and then hurries off to get Donghyuck's water. The couch is softer than Donghyuck was expecting, and he sinks into it easily. His whole body hurts, but whether it's from the mobbing or the panic attack afterwards, he can't really tell. He's just taking stock of where he aches the most when Taeil comes back.

"Here," he says, handing Donghyuck a bottle of water. He stands there, awkwardly, until Donghyuck rolls his eyes and motions to the seat next to him.

Donghyuck is not good at silence, and he's not great at patience either. Taeil tests both of these, and it takes Donghyuck approximately six seconds before he cracks and says, "So. What did you want to talk about?"

Taeil side-eyes him warily. "Are you okay?"

Donghyuck frowns. "You want to know if I'm okay?" he asks, incredulous. "I just got run over by a bunch of fans. I'm not really doing my best."

Maybe he shouldn't be this upset, but Donghyuck feels like all of his emotions have been turned up to 10. He has an apology of his own to offer, but he wants one in return, too.

"Right, um, yeah. That was kind of a dumb question," Taeil mutters, rubbing a hand through his hair. It's unstyled for once, and Donghyuck suddenly remembers that NCT 127 is supposed to be going to a fansign.

"Aren't you going to be late?" he asks, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "For the fansign?"

Taeil shrugs. "I'm sure there's been a statement about what happened and they'll have postponed it a couple hours," he says. "And if they haven't -- I can be late, I guess."

It warms Donghyuck's heart a little, knowing Taeil is willing to stay and talk with him. That he wants this to work out too. It gives Donghyuck enough courage to blurt out, "I'm sorry."

Taeil glances up at him. "For what?" he asks.

"For not trusting you," Donghyuck replies. "For jumping to conclusions. For letting my insecurities get the best of me."

Taeil bobs his head in acknowledgement. He's staring at his hands, the way they're folded neatly in his lap. Everything about him is usually so prim and proper, but Donghyuck can see the cracks in the facade now. He can see where the stress has been chipping away at Taeil.

“I got nervous,” Donghyuck continues. “You always read things on the internet about how this or that celebrity is actually an asshole in real life. It made me jaded. I was worried you’d be the same,or rather, that you’d be different. Different from the person I wanted you to be. And of course, you weren’t, but it didn’t mean I got worried or scared.”

“Oh,” Taeil says, glancing up at Donghyuck. “I guess -- it makes sense. It’s still sad, I guess, that that’s how you look at celebrities, but I get it. I understand. Thank you.”

He takes a deep breath before adding, "I'm sorry too." Donghyuck breathes out a sigh of relief. "I wasn't fair to you. And I didn't trust you either. I wanted you to like me for me. As Moon Taeil, and as soon as you showed an interest in NCT 127, I backed out."

It’s funny that they were both worried about the same things, essentially. To not be liked for who they are. It reminds Donghyuck of something else he wants to apologize for.

“Also, I’m sorry I never mentioned that I was a fan. Or a fansite master, for that matter,” he says sheepishly, ducking his head. “I was worried you’d come to the wrong conclusions.”

Taeil chuckles. “Well, it seems I came to the conclusion on my own anyway. I understand where you were coming from there, too, so don’t worry about it.”

It seems so easy, to just talk it out and have everything out in the open, but Donghyuck doesn't know where to go from here. They've said their apologies, but is it worth it to try to keep going with what they had built before? That's where Donghyuck feels himself hesitating.

"Thanks," he says, for lack of anything better to say. He fiddles with the water bottle, tries to ignore the way Taeil is still staring at him.

"Have I messed it up?" Taeil asks, placing his hand over Donghyuck's. It makes Donghyuck's confused heart beat rapidly in his chest. "Have I missed my chance with you?"

Donghyuck thinks about all the conversations he's had with Jaemin and Jeno and Mark, and now Johnny too. He thinks about how he's always been afraid to put himself out there, too afraid of the end before even starting at the beginning. He thought he'd messed up too much with Taeil, but here he is with a second chance in front of him.

Donghyuck takes a deep breath.

"No," he says, flipping his hand over so he can curl his fingers around Taeil's. "No, you haven't."

“Oh good,” Taeil says with a mischievous grin. “I can’t wait to have my own personal photographer to take photos of me for my Instagram.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes but allows himself to snuggle into Taeil’s side. The future seems a little uncertain, but right now, everything feels just right.

**CODA**

There’s an ungodly amount of people crammed into Donghyuck’s dorm room when he gets back from his summer school classes. It would be the most surprising thing about the day, if not for the fact that all the people in his dorm room yell, “Surprise!” at him when he opens the door and effectively scare the living daylights out of him.

“Oh my god,” he murmurs, clutching a hand to his chest as he staggers back into the hallway. “What the fuck?”

Taeil is the only one with a key to his room (through some artful lying by Donghyuck to his resident advisor, and a payment from Taeil for the university to cut a new key for him), but the surprise was undoubtedly planned by Jaemin, if the gleeful expression on his face has anything to do with it.

Mark and Johnny are perched on the edge of the desk next to a stack of Donghyuck’s textbooks. Jaehyun has made himself at home on the bed next to Jaemin and Jeno. Taeil is standing front and centre, holding a ridiculous bouquet of flowers that Donghyuck isn’t sure where he’s going to put.

“Happy birthday,” Taeil says shyly. He doesn’t make any move to step forward, and it reminds Donghyuck that he’s still standing out in the hallway with a hand to his chest like some swooning Victorian-age lady.

“Thanks,” he says, stepping into his dorm and shutting the door behind him. It feels stuffy inside. He accepts the bouquet from Taeil, along with a kiss to the cheek which has the room hollering. Donghyuck’s next-door neighbour bangs on the wall.

Everyone seems to continue talking at once. Jaemin is asking where they’re going for dinner. Jeno and Jaehyun have begun discussing some picture of a cat that Jeno has as his wallpaper on his phone. Mark and Johnny are cuddling on the desk.

It’s chaotic and weird, but it feels something like a family now.

It had taken a while for Donghyuck to get used to dating Taeil. At first, not a lot changed. Taeil still had schedules to go to and Donghyuck still had fansite duties. They texted a lot and called a lot, but now they made an effort to actually _say_ things to each other. Communication, or whatever sage relationship advice Mark and Johnny had offered them in an extremely awkward conversation not too long after that first day at the agency.

Three months down the road, Donghyuck thinks he’s getting the hang of this whole dating thing. Or at least, he hasn’t ruined anything beyond repair. Taeil is a nice boyfriend, too. When he’s in town he takes Donghyuck out and treats him to food and drives him around in his fancy car and takes him home and --

“Can we please leave now? I’m starving!” Jaemin wails dramatically and flops across Jeno and Jaehyun, who have essentially been ignoring him.

“Not until Taeil gives Donghyuck his birthday present!” Johnny hollers.

The banging on the wall starts up again.

“If we have to wait for that then we’ll have to wait all night,” Jeno mutters, which just gets everyone screaming again.

“Oh my god, everyone get out and go wait in the hallway,” Donghyuck shouts, trying to keep his face from heating up too much. At least Taeil looks similarly embarrassed.

It takes at least 10 minutes for their friends to pull themselves together enough to file out the door into the hallway. “You get five minutes,” Mark says, waving the timer on his phone before Donghyuck slams the door in his face.

Even though they’ve spent plenty of time alone together since they started dating, this moment feels awkward. Donghyuck is still holding the bouquet of flowers from Taeil, so he hastily deposits them on his desk and hopes he doesn’t forget about them.

“Happy birthday,” Taeil says again, stepping closer and reaching out. Donghyuck automatically meets him halfway and lets himself sink into Taeil’s embrace. He still has his backpack on, which is kind of embarrassing, and he lets Taeil pry it from his shoulders.

“Thanks,” Donghyuck mumbles. They stand there for a moment, swaying gently to nothing, but it’s long enough for Donghyuck to compose himself and get his head on straight again.

“So,” he says, pulling back and quirking an eyebrow. “Johnny said something about a birthday present?”

Taeil laughs and kisses Donghyuck’s cheek before reaching into his pocket. Donghyuck wonders what the gift could be; something small, hopefully shiny. Maybe with diamonds. Unless it’s a ring. Then he wants none of that, thanks.

What Taeil pulls out instead is a piece of paper. Donghyuck is disappointed, but when he untangles himself in order to read what the paper says, it just makes him laugh instead.

It’s a ticket for NCT 127’s Seoul concert next month.

“Isn’t this cheating?” he asks, putting the ticket on the desk next to the flowers and throwing himself back into Taeil’s arms.

Taeil laughs, kissing Donghyuck soundly on the mouth. When he pulls back he says, “Well, I had plans for a present later, but it’s not a really good one for polite company, so I figured I better have a backup plan.”

Donghyuck makes a scandalized noise in the back of his throat. “Hyung!” he exclaims.

The smile on Taeil’s face is blinding. He tugs Donghyuck back into another hug and kisses the shell of his ear. Weird, but not entirely uncomfortable. “I’m glad you asked me out by accident,” he murmurs, squeezing Donghyuck tightly.

They’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and Donghyuck doesn’t doubt that there are more to come, but for now, he’s content to have Taeil like this: in his arms, giggling quietly into his shoulder, with all their friends standing outside the door waiting for them.

There’s a polite knock on the door.

“Time’s up,” Taeil whispers as Jaemin shouts the same thing through the door.

“It’s okay,” Donghyuck says, pulling away from Taeil until only their hands are linked. He drags Taeil over to the door, but pauses with his hand on the handle. “We’ve got all the time in the world, hyung.”

**Author's Note:**

> tw: anxiety/panic attack  
the last time donghyuck and jaemin go to the agency building to take photos of nct 127, they are mobbed by the crowd. subsequently, donghyuck has a panic attack about the situation.
> 
> the depictions of fan activities in this fic may or may not be entirely accurate. i took some creative liberties with it. if you have questions, concerns, or comments you can reach me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/monstplaza) or [my cc](https://curiouscat.me/monstplaza).


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